18 January 2006 - Lilly Travels To The Third Century

On 18 January 2006, United States forward/midfielder and captain Kristine Lilly became the first player--male or female--to reach 300 caps when she appeared against Norway in the Four Nations Tournament.

Lilly joined the USWNT in 1987 while she was still in high school and has helped them claim several honors, including two World Cups (1991, 1999) and two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004).

In the 2006 Four Nations Tournament, the US won their match against Norway, 3-1. Lilly contributed the opening goal, her 105th, which tied her with Michelle Akers for second place on the USWNT's all-time goal scoring list. She has since passed Akers to hold second place outright, scoring a total of 129 goals in 342 appearances.

30 November 1991 - Akers Aweigh

On 30 November 1991, the United States women's national team beat Norway 2-1 in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup Final before a crowd of 63,000 at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, China.

The United States entered the Final after winning all of their previous matches in the tournament, including a 5-0 hammering of Brazil in the group stage, a 7-0 demolition of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, and a 5-2 victory over Germany in the semifinals. Norway, meanwhile, had opened the tournament with a 4-0 defeat to hosts China, but then put together a string of wins to reach the Final, including a convincing 4-1 victory over Sweden in the semifinals.

US midfielder/forward Michelle Akers (pictured) entered the Final as the Cup's leading scorer with 8 (5 of which came in the win over Chinese Taipei). True to form, she gave the Americans the lead with a goal in the 20th minute, but Norway struck back with a 29th-minute equalizer from forward Linda Medalen. The match remained even until the 78th minute, when Akers pounced on a stray back pass from Norway's Tina Svensson and sidestepped keeper Reidun Seth to tap the ball into the open net. The goal gave the United States the win and upped Akers' tally to 10, making her the tournament's top scorer.

Norway got their revenge in 1995, when they eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals, 1-0, then beat Germany in the Final.

23 December 2000 - Real Madrid Runs Away With The Vote

On 23 December 2000, FIFA recognized Real Madrid as the Club of the Century.

The award was part of a series of centennial honors organized by FIFA for the end of 2000, including both make and female Players of the Century. The latter two were selected by an international jury, readers of FIFA's website, and subscribers to the bi-monthly publication FIFA Magazine. Club of the Century, however, was chosen exclusively by the magazine subscribers.

When the results were revealed, Real Madrid were the overwhelming choice, receiving just over 42% of the vote while no other club crossed the 10% mark. The other vote recipients in the top five were Manchester United (9.69%), Bayern Munich (9.18%), and Barcelona (5.61%), while Santos and Ajax were tied at 5.10%.

The Player of the Century awards were split, with Pelé and Diego Maradona sharing one and Michelle Akers and Sun Wen sharing the other.

24 August 2000 - Akers Away

On 24 August 2000, US midfielder/forward Michelle Akers, one of the earliest stars of women's football, announced her retirement.

She joined the US national team upon its formation in 1985 at the age of 19 and scored the team's very first goal in a 2-2 draw with Denmark that August. In 1991, her ten goals at the inaugural women's World Cup remain a tournament record and helped the US lift the trophy. After a disappointing third-place finish in the 1995 World Cup, she helped the team win the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, then claimed another World Cup trophy in 1999.

The US Soccer Federation has called Akers "the greatest women's soccer player in history." Her status was recognized commercially when she became the first female footballer to earn an endorsement from a shoe company.

Throughout her career, however, she battled injuries, including multiple knee surgeries, a shoulder injury, and a condition known as chronic fatigue syndrome. After the 1999 World Cup, at the age of 34, she decided that she could no longer continue and chose to retire from the game. At the time, she was the team's second-leading scorer, with 105 goals in 153 appearances (she is currently fourth behind Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, and Kristine Lilly), and remains in the top ten for assists.

18 January 2006 - Lilly Travels To The Third Century

On 18 January 2006, United States forward/midfielder and captain Kristine Lilly became the first player--male or female--to reach 300 caps when she appeared against Norway in the Four Nations Tournament.

Lilly joined the USWNT in 1987 while she was still in high school and has helped them claim several honors, including two World Cups (1991, 1999) and two Olympic gold medals (1996, 2004).

In the 2006 Four Nations Tournament, the US won their match against Norway, 3-1. Lilly contributed the opening goal, her 105th, which tied her with Michelle Akers for second place on the USWNT's all-time goal scoring list. She has since passed Akers to hold second place outright, scoring a total of 129 goals in 342 appearances.

You can view highlights of Lilly's 300th international appearance here.

30 November 1991 - Akers Aweigh

On 30 November 1991, the United States women's national team beat Norway 2-1 in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup Final before a crowd of 63,000 at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, China.

The United States entered the Final after winning all of their previous matches in the tournament, including a 5-0 hammering of Brazil in the group stage, a 7-0 demolition of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, and a 5-2 victory over Germany in the semifinals. Norway, meanwhile, had opened the tournament with a 4-0 defeat to hosts China, but then put together a string of wins to reach the Final, including a convincing 4-1 victory over Sweden in the semifinals.

US midfielder/forward Michelle Akers (pictured) entered the Final as the Cup's leading scorer with 8 (5 of which came in the win over Chinese Taipei). True to form, she gave the Americans the lead with a goal in the 20th minute, but Norway struck back with a 29th-minute equalizer from forward Linda Medalen. The match remained even until the 78th minute, when Akers pounced on a stray back pass from Norway's Tina Svensson and sidestepped keeper Reidun Seth to tap the ball into the open net. The goal gave the United States the win and upped Akers' tally to 10, making her the tournament's top scorer.

Norway got their revenge in 1995, when they eliminated the United States in the quarterfinals, 1-0, then beat Germany in the Final.